


Against the Cold

by androidkisser



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game), Nier Gestalt | Nier
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Romance, Sex, Slice of Life, human/android relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-10-23 00:43:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10708584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/androidkisser/pseuds/androidkisser
Summary: AU set around 2300-2400, instead of in the 10000-11000s.2B and her friend Kainé catch up.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ...I know what you're thinking! Pairing 2B with anyone other than Nines is sacrilege! Disgusting! Foul! But hear me out, okay?!  
>  I still consider them objectively the best pairing and I'm gonna write more about them, but... I got curious about how these two would interact. And then I got more curious, and I kept writing, and I kept writing, and...  
> (o´▽`o)
> 
> I didn't spend too much time on writing the technicalities of the 'why' and 'how' they exist at the same time, the machine war, etc... it just wasn't really my focus here. I've touched on it a little bit - YoRHa never exists, there's just a global government, all machines are assholes - I just feel like writing too much on that would have taken away from the overall feel and goal of the story, which is to focus on the characters. So sorry!
> 
> It's my first time getting to write Kainé, and I've been excited to do it for a while.  
> I hope you enjoy this 'what-if' scenario! Please let me know what you think!

“Alright, _alright_ already, hold the fuck up, I'm coming, I'm coming!”

She knew exactly who the soft, but persistent knock belonged to.

“Is something wrong?” A muffled, gentle voice called through the door.

“No, it's – god-damn _door_! It's fine, come in,” muttered the silver haired girl through gritted teeth.

“I'll pass, actually,” came the reply from the short girl clad in black. She stood on her tiptoes, almost lifting herself out of her flats, peering past the doorway tentatively. “You're coming back to mine for dinner.”

“When did you decide that? I'm busy, I gotta look for a new job, y'know...” Kainé replied bitterly. Losing her last job was still a sore point for her, and it was also why she'd had to downgrade her apartment to something so decidedly backwater. She didn't even mean to snap, the customer was just so _rude_ , and –

“You can do that at mine, though,” the girl said firmly, interrupting her train of thought. “I'll cook whatever you want. We'll pick it up at the store on the way back.”

 _She's really not gonna take no for an answer_ , thought Kainé, exasperated. “Alright, fine, fine, but you know how much I eat.”

The tiny girl allowed the corners of her lips to curl into an almost imperceptible, but yet decidedly mischievous smile, knowing she had gotten her way.

“Great,” she said. “Bring a change of clothes, too. I already set up the spare bed.”

“But – c'mon! You _know_ my favourite show _just_ started, and I was gonna _–_ ”

“Your television has a record function for a reason, doesn't it?” said the girl, already turning on her heel. “I'll be waiting in the car, so don't be too long.”

“You can be a _real_ fuckin' asshole, you know that, 2B?” Kainé shouted after her, as she rounded the corner of the hallway and started descending the stairs.

 

***

 

In a world where androids and humans readily mixed, 2B was nothing special, really. At least, not any more. She was an obsolete model from a generation long gone, a generation in which aesthetics had mattered just as much as combat ability. That was no longer the case, however – sweeping budget cuts to the military in years past, combined with long, drawn out wars with the machines meant that quantity had become far more important than quality, and most new-type androids bore little resemblance to the humans upon which they were now only loosely based.

She was a civilian now – she had been for more years than she cared to remember – and she was thankful to blend in with the humans. There was no more use for her in any war, as government-sanctioned upgrades to keep older models up to scratch had been scrapped a while ago. Not that she minded, really. She had had her fair share of battle, and she was ready for her break.

The war was all but won, anyway. Hostile machines were a rare sight on the surface now, and the new generation of androids were mostly built for journeys deep into the Earth to eradicate the last few major groups of stragglers that yet clung on.

Now waiting in her car, she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel absent-mindedly while rain drummed on the roof. She had met Kainé a couple of years back, and against all odds, they had become close friends. It wasn't that they disagreed often, but since they both possessed rather forceful personalities, there were more than a few hiccups on the journey to where they were at now.

She allowed herself a slightly more natural smile when she saw Kainé leaving the complex and walking towards her car, holding a bag over her head to stop her hair getting wet. It wasn't that she was a control freak – or well, at least in the traditional sense – she didn't want to force anyone to do something they didn't want to do; she simply got a kick out of encouraging someone to do something she knew they wanted to do anyway, and a much bigger kick when they actually gave in.

Kainé opened the car door and sat herself down on the passenger side, resting her little travel bag on her knees.

“You _know_ I love that show,” she pouted.

“I know you do. When we come back tomorrow, I'll watch it with you,” said 2B, pulling away from the parking area.

“...and I know _you_ hate that show, so why would you...?”

“It's called compromise,” 2B replied simply. “You're coming over for my benefit as well as yours, so I'll make it up to you when I can.”

“For your benefit? What part of it is for your benefit?”

“I don't have much company since you moved further away,” sighed the white-haired android, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness. “I want to catch up, and it's not like what I said was untrue. You can still do everything you need to at mine.”

“Oh,” said Kainé, feeling a little sheepish. She _hadn't_ seen much of 2B since the job fiasco, and now she came to mention it, it had felt strange not seeing her after work every day.

“We'll go to the store first, like I promised. Pick whatever you want, I don't mind cooking it while you do your job hunting.”

“I take it back,” said Kainé, looking at her.

“Take what back?”

“You aren't...” she began, feigning an extremely pained expression, “ _entirely_...an asshole...”

“I'm aware of that. Thank you for the sentiment all the same, though. I know that was hard for you. I'm proud.”

Kainé laughed.

 _That really is a pleasant sound,_ thought 2B.

 

***

 

As 2B entered the code for her apartment and pushed open the door, a wave of warm air welcomed them from inside.

“Do you always leave the heat running in winter?” Kainé asked.

“No, just today,” said 2B, “I thought you'd appreciate it.”

“Well, you got that one right...”

There was no working central heating unit in her apartment, so Kainé had needed to resort to a little space heater and piling under blankets if she was feeling especially cold.

“I would have let you stay here, you know, but the government doesn't allow it,” said 2B, reading the expression on Kainé's face. “It's what I was given when they retired my series, and the rules are pretty strict.”

“Oh, nah. Don't worry about it,” Kainé said. She had never really given thought to it, but in hindsight, it would've been nice to stay here, at least until she got back on her feet.

They hung up their coats, took off their shoes, and moved into her living room. It was smaller than Kainé's, but decidedly more comfortable and homely. It was well furnished, and 2B had clearly put a lot of effort into making it a place for her to unwind and relax. There was a modestly-sized television in one corner, and an L-shaped sofa in the other. On one wall there was a glass-fronted shelving unit, that held all of her mementos from her days fighting in the military – medals, photos, that sort of thing. She didn't really talk about those days, but she also wasn't ashamed of them.

“Are you hungry?”

“God, I'm starved,” said Kainé, looking down at her. Even without heels, she was still a good seven inches taller than the other girl.

“Make yourself comfortable, then. I'll get dinner started. Can I get you anything to drink?”

“This isn't like... pity, is it?” asked Kainé, ignoring the question.

“No,” came the reply. “You don't mind me looking after you, do you?”

Kainé couldn't tell if _that_ question was played straight or not. She decided to ignore that one, too.

“Do you keep soda in the house?”

“There should still be some left from the last time you decided to store all of your snacks in my refrigerator, yes,” said 2B, who was thankfully not fazed by the awkward line of inquiry.

“I'll go grab one, then,” began Kainé, making for the kitchen.

“No, I'll get it,” said 2B again, “I told you to make yourself comfortable.”

The overall tone was oddly forceful.

“Hey, I'm not arguing, if you wanna wait on me hand and foot,” said Kainé, collapsing onto the sofa and curling up, “be my guest.”

2B said nothing as she turned to fetch the drink from the refrigerator, but smiled to herself again.

***

 

“For someone who doesn't need to eat, you really are a god-damn amazing cook, you know that?” remarked Kainé, settling back down onto the opposite side of the sofa to 2B, with what remained of a glass of wine.

“Well, I have a lot of spare time, and it's a worthwhile skill,” 2B said. “You should try it sometime. I can teach you, if you'd like.”

“Nah, I'm good,” she said, stretching out. “Why bother when you're better at it than I'll ever be?”

“What a strange way of thinking,” 2B thought out loud. “Well, you may have a point, though.”

“Hah, never thought I'd hear you concede a point of logic to me,” Kainé said, laughing a little. “I'll put that one in my scrapbook.”

“I'm sure you will,” said 2B, allowing herself to show the faintest hint of a smirk. She shifted along the sofa a little so she was right in the corner of the 'L', lifting and placing Kainé's ankles on top of her thighs. “The cushions are softer here.”

“' _The cushions are softer here'_? Man, I'll move, I can take a hint.”

“No, I don't mind,” 2B said softly.

“If you say so.”

Truthfully, 2B had been harbouring feelings that weren't based entirely in friendship towards her friend for a while now, and it had been made more apparent to her that she felt something stronger when she hadn't been able to see Kainé every day. She missed her attitude, missed how easy she was to talk to, even for someone who had spent decades keeping her every emotion in check. She had especially missed her laugh, though. She'd probably never let it show, but every time she heard it, a warmth coursed through her entire body.

She looked over at Kainé's body, stretched out next to her. She was engrossed in the documentary on the TV, sipping her wine. It wasn't pity that had made her invite her back here, rather, it was... 2B couldn't quite put her finger on it. It wasn't like she had _planned_ on trying anything with her, since the last thing she wanted was to damage their friendship, but she had just wanted to be a little closer to her again. She sighed inaudibly, more of a slightly harder exhale, than anything, and took one of Kainé's feet into her hands, giving her a light massage.

“I wasn't actually serious about you waiting on me hand and foot, y'know,” said Kainé, turning from the TV, a little confused. “I swear, some of you androids still take everything so litera–”

 

_You don't mind me looking after you, do you?_

 

 _Nah_ , thought Kainé, pushing that thought, and her initial reaction out of her mind. _She's just being nice. It's nothing like that_. Feeling how gently she was being touched though... it was hard not to assume.

“Hey, cut that out,” is what she decided on saying. Far easier to not think about it at all.

“Am I that bad at it?”

“Nah, nothing like that, I just... I'm not used to people touching me, okay?” she lied.

2B just tilted her head, examining Kainé's face. She didn't stop what she was doing.

“It's just me, though,” 2B said, in such a way that made Kainé's heart skip a beat against her will. “Do you want me to stop?”

 _Did_ she want her to stop? That was a much more difficult question than it first seemed. 2B had such a delicate touch for someone designed for combat, and it _had_ been a while since anyone had gotten close to her, physically...

“Suppose it's alright,” Kainé conceded, turning back to the TV.

It wasn't as if Kainé didn't find her friend attractive, or that she thought they wouldn't be compatible, or anything like that. She had never let anyone else quite as close to her as she had 2B, but still, there were things holding her back. Closeness in one way wouldn't necessarily translate to another, and there were other... _issues_ that she had no idea how 2B would deal with.

2B kept watching Kainé's face for reactions for a little while longer, before lifting her ankles from her legs.

“I fuckin' _knew_ you were gonna make me move,” said Kainé, sighing loudly.

“No, stay there,” came the reply.

“Will you make your god-damn mind up? If you want my spot that badly–”

“Be quiet for a minute,” said 2B, crawling closer to her along the line of the back of the sofa. Kainé moved towards the edge of the cushion, giving her more room. She didn't quite understand the situation, but something in 2B's tone made her think twice about arguing.

2B settled, lying next to her, and pulled Kainé's arm around her. The android girl didn't seem embarrassed, or nervous, or anything like that – she just closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

“You okay there?”

“I just missed you, that's all.”

Kainé genuinely couldn't read the situation. Or 2B. She decided trying to front it out would be the best course of action for now.

“I didn't have you down for the sappy type, y'know?”

“Is it 'sappy' to desire the company of someone you like?” replied 2B.

 _I guess not_ , thought Kainé. 2B's head was resting gently on her upper chest, rising and falling softly with her breathing. She was a lot heavier than she looked, but Kainé didn't really care. Her white hair was close to her face. It was the scent of heaven – if heaven happened to smell faintly of vanilla.

Kainé's hand was resting on 2B's side, right where she had left it after wrapping it around her. There was a part of her that so badly wanted to let her fingers explore the surface, even through the shirt, but she chose to try to reposition her hand further away from the danger zone. Instead, her hand found 2B's own.

2B didn't react, at first. At least, until Kainé tried to withdraw her hand slowly, at which point the android girl reached up to stop its retreat, intertwining her fingers with Kainé's. She didn't turn to look up at her, she didn't even say anything.

Kainé now knew _exactly_ how the situation was, as she felt 2B's thumb stroking the back of her hand, gently, over and over. Knowing that didn't really help her, though. She felt like she wasn't in control of her body any more, and her mind was a warm and hazy mess.

“I missed you too,” she felt someone say in her voice, using her mouth. That person clearly wasn't thinking straight, she thought to herself. Kainé found her other hand drifting lazily towards 2B's other side. She wanted to pull her closer, just a little bit.

What she hadn't realised was that as 2B had pushed herself into her current position, her shirt had ridden up on that side, exposing half of her taut stomach, up to the bottom of her ribcage. When Kainé's fingertips came into contact with the skin there, she let out an audible gasp against her will.

“It's alright,” said 2B, airily. “You can touch.”

 _Did she just give me... permission?_ Kainé thought, as she placed her palm flat against 2B's tummy. It was a sublime feeling. So soft. So, so impossibly soft. She began to let her fingers skate around 2B's waist and sides, sometimes dipping into the areas around her hips that her pants didn't quite cover. The smaller girl didn't react in any huge way, except to release Kainé's fingers from her own and start trailing her fingernails up and down her forearm, making the small, light hairs on her body stand on end.

“How do you feel about me?” 2B asked, turning her head for the first time since switching positions, and looking into Kainé's eyes.

“Ah... fuckin' seriously? You're gonna ask me that _now?_ ”

“Yes,” she stated. “I need to know.”

Kainé hesitated. “I don't want to fuck this up, okay? I haven't met anyone like you, before or since,” she said, entirely truthfully. “If I say something stupid, I'll – I'll...”

“I understand,” 2B returned. “I feel that way too.”

_She does? Oh, fuck, you've gotta be kidding me..._

“Shit 2B, I'm glad and all, but –”

“Will you be mine?”

The question hit Kainé like a slap in the face. It was so out of character, but at the same time, somehow not. Every time she tried to think of an answer for that, her mind ground to a halt.

“Wait, wait... what do you mean, 'yours'? You mean like, you wanna start dating?”

“I mean, I want you to be mine. I want you to belong to me. I want to take care of you.”

Kainé had never felt so embarrassed in all of her life, and she had had her fair share of embarrassing experiences. Her face was flushed bright red, and her heart was practically in her mouth. It was rare that she was lost for words entirely, but this appeared to be one of those times.

“I... I mean, I'm flattered, seriously, I just...”

“Kiss me,” whispered 2B, inches away from her face now.

“Fuck, you're –”

“Don't talk,” she said. “Kiss me.”

2B's lips were almost touching Kainé's own at this point, and she could feel her breath on them. Still, she refused to make the first move.

The second Kainé moved forward and felt skin-on-skin contact, 2B began to kiss back, passionately and forcefully, pushing her lips against Kainé's. It wasn't just her kiss that was forceful – she instantly shifted her position to be straddling the taller girl's hips, and grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head.

When they finally broke apart, Kainé was the first to speak.

“You're... quite something,” she breathed. “I wasn't expecting you to start –”

" _You're_ the one who kissed _me_ ," said 2B sweetly. "Don't tell me you weren't ready to follow it through?"

"I know, but you _totally_ wanted it too, I god-damn _know_ that you –"

"Shh," was the only reply she got. It was soothing, yet it sent shivers down Kainé's spine at the same time. "You can't prove that, can you?"

Her words were in direct opposition to her next action, as she licked a slow line along the side of the poor girl's neck, making her squirm underneath her.

"Can you?" she repeated. She really did seem to be expecting an answer.

"I... guess not...?" said Kainé, blushing. She had felt oddly compelled to give that response, even though it went against every fibre of her being to let someone dictate her choice of words for her.

“That's right,” 2B whispered softly in her ear, her tongue darting out to lick the inside of it afterwards, making Kainé giggle and try to turn her head away from the ticklish sensation.

“C'mon, let me go, I want... to touch _you_ some more,” said Kainé, her voice thick with a heady combination of lust and... another feeling that she wasn't quite comfortable naming yet.

“Mm. Not yet, I'm not done,” said 2B, licking her lips teasingly. “You can earn that privilege later.”

 _Earn?! Privilege?!_ Kainé's first reaction was to open her mouth to argue, but after a moment of consideration, she found herself debating whether it was such a bad thing.

“You... you're a real piece of work,” she mustered.

“Don't be like that,” the tiny girl said, a small pout on her face. “I'm going to make you feel as special as you are, so long as you behave.”

“Me, behave?”

“If you would like me to be _nice_ , yes,” said 2B, leaning in close, and readjusting her position on top of her slightly, moving further down her body.

A sudden feeling of dread washed over Kainé, and it clearly showed on her face.

“What's with that face?” asked 2B in hushed tones.

“It's... there's just things you don't know,” she replied, voice cracking a little.

“What is it?”

Kainé sighed. She knew 2B had attempted relationships in the past, both with humans and androids, of both genders, but... this was entirely different.

“Gimme my hand back for a sec,” she mumbled. 2B obliged, sensing something was wrong. Kainé took hold of 2B's hand, and guided it down to her own stomach this time. “Just... don't hate me, okay? If you don't wanna go any further, that's fine, but...”

2B opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it and nodded gently.

Kainé took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then pushed both of their hands inside the waistband of her pants. 2B's eyes opened wider, just slightly.

“Kainé...” she began. 2B almost never used her name.

“Just... just wait, okay?”

She kept pushing their hands further south, brushing over the semi-erect penis and small sack, and then directed 2B's fingers to the slit beneath those. Kainé let go of her hand then, leaving 2B's where it was, while she used her now free hand to mash her palm into her face.

“Oh, Kainé,” whispered 2B, her hand remaining unmoving, “you really thought... Kainé, I could never hate you.”

“It's... it's fucked up though, isn't it?”

2B let her hand drift back up to Kainé's penis, and let it rest on her palm. Kainé bit her lip, not out of pleasure, but embarrassment.

“No, it's not,” came 2B's gentle voice, as she leaned back in close to her friend, and kissed her. It wasn't a forceful kiss, like their first. It was soft, full of affection and sympathy for how she must have felt. Kainé could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she fought them back.

2B broke away, looking into the eyes that held so much emotion right now.

“I still want you to be mine,” she said. “More than anything.”

Kainé couldn't help but laugh, despite the situation. Not at the concept, but because she knew what her answer would be this time.

“Okay, okay, I'll be yours. Just yours, I promise.”

“I'm glad,” said 2B, smiling ear to ear. “I'm going to be honest with you. Your laugh. It makes me want to do terrible, terrible things to you.”

“Oh, I'm... glad too, I think?”

“Mm. Kainé?”

She was enjoying hearing 2B say her name so much. She made it sound so beautiful.

“What?”

“I'm going to ask _you_ for permission to do something, just this once.”

“...what is it?”

2B leaned right next to her ear, and enunciated every single syllable of her next sentence.

“Please let me help you feel good,” she breathed. As she said it, she wrapped her hand around Kainé's erection, her thumb drawing light circles around the very tip.

Kainé felt a moan escape her lips.

“I won't... argue...”

“Good girl,” said 2B, the words she'd been aching to say for so long slipping off her tongue.

Kainé squirmed beneath her and moaned again.

“Tell me that... again... ” she said, a hint of pleading in her voice as she felt waves of pleasure emanating from her nether regions. 2B was teasing the head of her length with her fingernails, ever so tenderly and carefully, and it was driving her insane already.

“Say please,” said 2B, working at the sensitive underside of the glans.

“Ah f... fuck...”

“And don't curse, it's bad manners,” she added.

Kainé discovered at that moment that she despised being teased. She also discovered that she adored every second of it.

“Tell me that again... _please_...”

“That's better,” purred 2B, almost letting out a little moan of her own – the pleasure of getting her tough, abrasive friend to submit to her entirely was almost too much for her, and her panties were soaked through.

“Say it...”

“You're my good girl.”

Kainé whimpered. _God,_ _she's good_ , she thought.

“Do you trust me?” Another question out of left field, and so the mood shattered once again. 2B managed to hold her voice steady long enough to ask it in a serious tone. She also stopped teasing for a minute, presumably so Kainé could do the same.

“Wh- of course I trust you, you idiot...”

“I'll pretend I didn't hear that, but...”

2B peeled herself off of Kainé's body and began to slip her skirt off, followed by her tights. Lines of wetness trickled and followed the tights' path down 2B's legs.

“You can be my first, if you want,” said 2B, turning a pale shade of pink, even though she was still the one clearly in charge.

“S-seriously...?”

“Mm. I'd like it to be you. But I understand if it's not something you'd be comfortable with.”

“No, it's –”

“That's why I asked. I don't know exactly what I'd be doing, but I wanted you to know that I'll do everything I can to make you comfortable.”

“It's not that, it's... you'd be my first, too, at least with... that...”

“I see,” said 2B, visibly thinking quite hard.

“It's not like I haven't thought about it before, but I –”

“Kainé, do you... love me?”

“For fuck's sake, what is _with_ you? Dropping these god-damn bombshells on me every few–”

“Sorry,” she interjected. “Do you?”

Kainé sighed, and looked deeply into the little android's sparkling eyes.

“I think so,” she said, truthfully.

“I think I do, too.”

There was no doubt in Kainé's mind that the precious, delicate entity in front of her fully comprehended the concept of love. Some may have turned their nose up if they had been told such a thing by an android, but she just _knew_.

“It was a little different before, because... well, fuck, because I didn't wanna let myself fall for you properly, okay? But now that I think about it... yeah. It's been this way a while.”

2B leaned back down and started working at removing Kainé's pants, agonizingly slowly, making her breath hitch when the waistband was tugged over her length. Hovering her hips over Kainé's erection, she chose her next words carefully.

“You want to know how it feels, don't you?”

Kainé swallowed audibly.

“Yes,” she said, without even a momentary thought of backchat. Now that 2B seemed to have finished asking questions, it was as if her teasing limiters had been removed.

2B allowed the tip of Kainé's cock to rest on her wet entrance, making the latter twitch almost uncontrollably.

“Don't move,” purred 2B in her ear.

“Mm...”

“You know, once you finish inside me,” said 2B, her voice shaky, lowering herself onto Kainé a little more, “you'll be truly mine.”

“Haahn... you're really into that, aren't you?”

“Perhaps I – _mm –_ still have my 'PROPERTY OF UNIT 2B' stamp,” mused 2B out loud, with Kainé halfway inside her.

“ _Ah_ – why, going to parade me – _mmnnn –_ around everywhere?”

“It's important that everyone knows.” she said, sinking down to the hilt on top of Kainé.

The two of them simply stayed in that position for a while, panting, enjoying the closeness.

“You feel... fucking amazing,” Kainé managed to breathe.

“Don't curse,” said 2B, giggling a little with embarrassment. She began to roll her hips on top of the other girl, making her thrust too. Rhythm was impossible; they wanted each other too much to focus on something so arbitrary.

“I really... won't last long...”

“Shh...”

Kainé bit her bottom lip. It did feel good, but... she knew it wouldn't be anything special if it was anyone else. Thoughts swirled around the girl's foggy mind. _Someone wants to keep me for their own? They don't want to share? This is really happening..._

“That's – _ah_ – a pretty expression, Kainé,” said 2B, before adding “but I bet I can put an even prettier one on your face.” She lifted Kainé's shirt with one hand, and unhooked her bra deftly shortly after, while quickening the pace of her rocking back and forth on top of her. Taking one of the girl's nipples into her mouth, she grazed her teeth over the surface, back and forth, tongue enveloping it.

Kainé fought to keep herself from screaming. It was all too much, and she felt herself coming to the end of her stamina.

“2B, I'm... really...”

“I know,” murmured the android between licks. She reluctantly tore herself away from the perfectly soft breast – even by android standards – and took up her position at the girl's ear once more. “I love you.”

Kainé couldn't even think properly right now, as 2B had started trying her very best to push her over the edge. Surges of euphoria pushed all rational thought out of her mind, and all she could do to fight the urge to cry out was dig her nails deep into 2B's back.

“ _Fuck_... love you... too...”

That was the last thing she remembered as she came, hard, deep inside 2B. She could barely see, her vision practically blacked out. All she could hear was the sound of her hips slapping into 2B's. All she could taste was 2B, as she muffled the cries of both of their orgasms with a kiss – apparently Kainé's erratic bucking against her in the throes of passion had taken her along for the ride too.

As they started to come back to reality, Kainé was the first to speak. 2B was simply lying on top of her, utterly exhausted.

“I'm glad to be yours,” she said, pausing for a second, before adding, “weirdo...”

2B just laughed, and laughed, before eventually managing to get herself under control as Kainé stroked her hair.

“I haven't been this happy before, so...”

“Did anyone ever tell you how pretty _your_ laugh is?”

“I think you were the first to hear it, actually.”

Kainé blushed again, running her thumb over the girl's forehead. They fell asleep a short time afterwards, holding on to each other tightly, as rain hit the windows.

They didn't feel the cold that night.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since everyone always talks a lot about humans being with androids, I figured I'd try to explore some of the insecurities of it here, just a tiny bit.  
> I hope it's nice.  
> Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Kainé absent-mindedly stirred her hot chocolate, with one eye on the entrance. The coffee shop was a little busier than usual, so she felt a little uncomfortable taking up an entire sofa to herself. Not that she'd let it show, and she would never let anyone usurp her from her throne, but even so, she was attracting her fair share of irritated glances. Coming here after work was always a mistake.

A lonely pot of black tea sat at the other side of the table, awaiting its partner. It was the only drink 2B tolerated, really – everything else was a pain for an android's systems to work through. The clatter of cutlery, the loud hisses from the coffee machines, and the loud clashing of crockery blended into one angry cacophony of noise that Kainé found difficult to ignore. She wasn't even sure if there was a difference between focusing on something or trying to actively shut it out, any more.

Thankfully, her ruminating was interrupted soon enough by the sight of 2B pushing open the door, the snow blowing in past her.

_Shit, that's cute,_ thought Kainé, admiring her outfit. She was wearing a cream-coloured coat, with black buttons and matching black embroidery around the sleeves, shoulders and pockets; a simple pleated skirt, burgundy, layered on top of coordinating cream stockings, finished off with black, knee-high boots.

Kainé stood up, greeting her lover with a soft kiss on the lips, made considerably easier by virtue of the heels on her boots.

“You taste... pleasant,” commented 2B, with a little smile. She had been known to treat herself to the tiniest pieces of chocolate from time to time.

“Hi to you too,” replied Kainé, taking her seat again. “Yours is right there.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“What took you?”

Their conversations were always this way – since neither of them particularly enjoyed wasting time on small talk, they always got right to the point.

2B gave her a quizzical look as she sat down. “Maintenance took a little longer this time. Were you worried?”

“I'm just used to you being the one on time, so when you weren't here when I was already late, I just –”

“So you were worried,” 2B said, smirking a little. _How cute_.

“Fine, I was, no need to be a little shit about it...”

“It's going to take a little longer next time, too. They've changed up their procedures, and their tools, and they don't really work with my older components.”

Kainé frowned. “That's bullshit, there's gotta be more like you in the same position.”

“Well, yes, but... they're ending the maintenance program for my generation, soon, so it makes sense to –”

“They're _what?_ ”

“It's not as big of a deal as you're thinking,” said 2B, her voice remaining calm, which in turn soothed Kainé's temper. “Self-maintenance takes a little longer, but it's nothing major to worry about.”

“Yeah, maybe,” said Kainé, sipping her drink. “But I don't like the idea of you taking yourself apart, alone, so...”

“So?”

“So you can teach me how to do it, and I'll take care of it for you.”

“No,” said 2B, quickly.

“'No'? Why the hell not?”

“Can we talk about this at home?”

“Well, yeah, but –”

“Not here. Please, Kainé.”

Kainé opened her mouth to talk, but instead took another sip of her cocoa. 2B noticed she looked a little put out, and so she shuffled over in her seat to rest her head on the other girl's shoulder.

“When we finish our drinks, we'll go home right away,” 2B whispered quietly.

Kainé nodded softly. She was glad that 'home' was with her, now. A few months had passed since they had made their relationship official, and 2B had filled out reams of paperwork to get the government to allow someone else to live with her. Technically, Kainé was her tenant, but that word was never mentioned.

“Alright,” she replied, “but you'd better tell me what's really up when we're back.”

2B simply remained still, breathing a little faster than usual.

 

**

 

They sat in silence together, on the sofa, entwined in each other's arms. They hadn't spoken in the car, and they hadn't spoken here either, even after an hour in silence. Kainé knew something was wrong, and she knew not to push for it if she ever wanted to know what it was.

“I don't want you to see those things,” 2B said, finally.

“See what?”

“These,” she replied, gesturing at her own body, trying her best to avoid the words. Seeing her lose her composure like this was more than a little distressing for Kainé.

“I don't know what you mean,” she said, softly.

“If you see what's inside, you won't think of me the same way any more,” whispered 2B. “Knowing isn't the same as seeing, it isn't the same as feeling...”

Kainé's hand almost flew to 2B's hair, running her hand through it.

“I know what you are, and it makes no god-damn difference to me,” she said.

“You say that, but the reality isn't as pretty as –”

“I don't care,” whispered Kainé. “It's _you_.”

“Please, don't be so nice... it's hard enough to say no as it is.”

“Then don't say no, damn it!” said Kainé, raising her voice not out of temper, but worry. She had never seen 2B in this sort of a state before, and she wanted to fix it.

“It isn't just about this, I – I've been thinking for a while, Kainé. Me being... an android,” she said, speaking the word for what might have been the first time in their relationship, “I... I don't feel I can ever understand you as well as another human could.”

The Kainé of the past would've flown off the handle right away. _No!_ She would have screamed. _Don't fucking give me that bullshit! You know damn well that's not how it is!_

The Kainé that felt privileged, special, and lucky, to have spent the past six months in a relationship with 2B, knew better. She had been softened by love, something she never thought possible. And she wasn't about to let it go.

She leaned over, meeting 2B's eyes at the same level. She saw the fear in her eyes – fear that she wasn't good enough, fear of not being able to live up to human standards, whatever the hell those were. She took the smaller girl's chin in her fingertips, delicately, and pointed her gaze directly at her.

“You'd really be surprised how much you understand me,” Kainé whispered, as she bridged the gap between them and kissed her. It was a tender kiss, filled with all the love she could ever think to show. She wanted – no, she _needed_ – her to know just how special she made her feel. No human could ever come close. “I wouldn't have given myself to someone who I thought didn't understand me.”

She kissed her again, briefly this time.

“Just a reminder, I'm all yours, like I promised, no matter what.”

“Mmh,” was all 2B said.

“All of me,” whispered Kainé.

“Mmmh...”

“Just for you.”

2B looked up properly, meeting Kainé's gaze properly. She nodded, just a little sadly.

“That makes me very happy,” she murmured. She wasn't smiling, but there was a feeling of quiet awe emanating from her.

Kainé kissed her again, deeper and harder, and then she felt 2B's hands cupping over her cheeks to keep her in place. She exhaled heavily from her nose, then continued to lose herself in her partner.

“You still taste nice,” whispered 2B, after they broke apart. They simply held each other for a while, until 2B broke the silence again. “Am I too heavy?”

“Huh? Where the hell's that coming from?”

“It's just... we both hear the floorboards creak when I go to bring you a drink in the night.”

Kainé petted her hair silently, knowing there was more to come.

“And... when we're in bed, I always worry that I'm hurting you, and you're just not telling me.”

“Mm,” Kainé hummed softly.

“The bruises I leave on you... you say you like them, but... do you?” 2B looked up at her. “Do you really like them?”

“I love them,” Kainé replied in an instant, “because you're the one who gives me them.”

A single second passed before 2B's face warmed into a beautiful smile, those soft lips looking all the more inviting in this position.

“Okay, good. Thank you.”

“I told you, and I'll tell you all night if I damn well have to – I love you for who you are, not what you are, and I certainly don't sit there thinking about what you aren't.”

A long pause followed, before it was again 2B to speak first.

“We're not supposed to let anyone else touch these,” she said in hushed tones. “But...”

2B sighed softly, sitting upright. She lifted her blouse, and began fidgeting with something on the side of her torso.

Kainé looked at her, clearly confused, and asked, “What is it?”

2B turned to face her, pulling something out from her waist. Kainé let out a little gasp. Cupped in 2B's hands, was the little black box that she'd only ever heard the gentle hum from before. She was speechless, but luckily, 2B wasn't done talking.

“I know I've tried to be better with my emotions lately,” she said, blushing, “which is why I tell you about every little thing that's bothering me, these days. I hope it hasn't been annoying to deal with. At any rate, I... I wanted to show you them, instead. So you know they're real.”

She reached out, and took one of Kainé's wrists into her hand, holding her palm out flat. She placed the little box on top of the skin, and then leaned back.

Kainé took in every detail that she could. There were little lines covering every surface, gold, or perhaps silver – she couldn't quite tell. She realised it wasn't simply humming, it was definitely pulsing. Just like her own equivalent. It was so warm on her skin, but not hot. It was a comforting heat.

“This is... all of me,” said 2B, before asking a little nervously, “does it feel... I mean, is it...”

Kainé's answer was to gently raise it to her lips. 2B shivered a little as she saw her plant a little kiss on one of its perfectly smooth sides. Almost imperceptibly, it pulsed a little faster.

2B's arms dropped limply; she stared at her lips as they stayed pressed to it. Her breathing grew a little heavier, and her eyes began to tear up.

Kainé handed the little box back to her, and for a moment she didn't let go of it once it was back in her hands.

“Thank you,” was all she said – yet it carried so much weight.

“You're... so much more than welcome,” replied 2B sheepishly, placing it back inside of her, before crawling into a position to rest her head on Kainé's lap. The next time she spoke, it was a choked sob that caught her by surprise. “I love you.”

Kainé simply exhaled heavily, her fingers weaving into 2B's hair.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” 2B repeated, muffled by her lap. Kainé knew that this side of 2B wasn't one she particularly _wanted_ to show – but the fact that she had shown it to her made her feel all the more special. She had come to realise that her domineering streak was mostly for show – not that it bothered her, since it apparently was her preference to have her be the one in control for the most part anyway – however, she was more than happy to be able to be the one that 2B was relying on for once.

“When I get home tomorrow,” whispered Kainé, brushing the other girl's soft white hair behind her ear, “you can start telling me how everything else works, too.”

2B hiccoughed a little, then spoke.

“I'd love to,” she said.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just exploring some more android x human woes and worries and benefits.  
> Also, the name is one that seems to have stuck in the community, and I'm not about to go against the flow of cute things like that, especially when it makes so much sense.  
> [E] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ _

“It's just a god-damn cold,” said Kainé, batting 2B's thermometer away gently with the back of her hand. “It'll be gone in a few days, seriously.”

“Your temperature is a little above average,” 2B said, “and your breathing is a little off.”

“Yeah, that's what it does, don't worry,” repeated Kainé for the third, or maybe fourth time this morning. “I'll just go to work, and I'll come back, and –”

“No,” said 2B, firmly. “I already called your work before you woke up. I said you wouldn't be able to make it today.”

“You – ah, fuck, you did?”

“Well, yes,” said 2B. “Exposing yourself to more potential sources for infection really won't help speed up the recovery.”

“Jeez, where were you when I needed a sick day in school... Grandma would've never let me pull that one off. Fine, fine, I'll stay home, but what'd work say? I'm already on thin ice with them, y'know.”

“They were fine once I told them you couldn't stop coughing and sneezing, and you'd be a health concern. They said to come in whenever you can.”

“Huh... you must have a better phone manner than I do.”

“Perhaps, although that wouldn't be too difficult,” said 2B, smirking. “They were also exceptionally curious as to who I was. It was quite nice to say I was your partner.”

“You know my manager's... like you, right?”

“Obviously,” replied 2B. “His grasp of informal language is even worse than mine.”

“Yeah, but you know how to talk that way,” Kainé pointed out. “You just choose not to.”

“You said it didn't sound right, coming from me,” said 2B, mock-pouting in an albeit very convincing way. “But like, it's not as if that matters, right?”

“That's so weird,” Kainé laughed, before a cough interrupted her. “It _totally_ doesn't suit you.”

“Maybe you just aren't used to it,” 2B suggested. “It isn't like I don't enjoy being more like that with you, it's just a force of habit to talk so formally.”

“Yeah, maybe... ugh, my head's killing me,” whined Kainé, burying her head into the pillow and drawing the sheets around her.

“Aren't you glad I kept you home and safe?”

“Fine, fine, yeah... but it's still not as big of a deal as you think it is, it's just a god-damn pain in the ass,” she said, sniffling. “You're damn lucky you can't get this shit.”

“Agreed,” said 2B, pulling the covers back the tiniest bit and stroking Kainé's forehead, “but it doesn't mean it's any easier seeing you this way. Would you like me to make you something to drink?”

Kainé smiled to herself under the duvet. As much as having a cold was indeed a pain in the ass, being doted on by 2B was a prospect she was more than excited over.

“If you're making one, I wouldn't mind a sweet tea,” she said, trying to hide the grin from her voice.

“Of course,” replied 2B, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. “Humans really are so fragile, aren't they?”

“Hey, I'm not –” began Kainé, sitting up, about to boldly declare her sturdy nature, before a series of very delicate sneezes took over.

“Yes, you are,” said 2B, placing a hand on her chest and laying her back down. “You most of all, from what I've seen.”

“Oh, cram it,” fumed Kainé silently, more at the cold than 2B. “Besides, you're one to talk. Didn't you see that one super old android on the news that went nutso downtown the other day?”

She proceeded to make circles from her index finger and thumb and place them over her eyes, wiggling her other fingers. “Letting yourself get so run down you get the old red-eye? That's a special kind of fragile,” she pointed out.

2B's lips flattened out into a look of disapproval. “Those viruses are hardly comparable. Besides, perhaps she simply had an excuse for not performing regular maintenance.”

“Oh, just like I had an excuse for not eating more fruit and stuffing my fat mouth with ice cream? C'mon, fragility is something of your own making.”

“Hmm... you may have a point, there,” said 2B, noting that she hadn't missed a single maintenance session since her creation. “Admittedly, it was rather amusing to watch that one screaming at the garbage can for being a machine in disguise.”

“Talking of weirdos,” said Kainé, “I saw that other 2B unit in the thrift store the other day.”

“I loathe her,” muttered 2B, her eyebrows knitting into a very serious frown. “She has no idea how to dress herself, and that hair is just –”

“Okay, calm down, calm down, I'm supposed to be the bitchy one, remember?”

2B's expression softened. “I just don't understand how you can go about co-existing with humans for fifty years and fail to grasp the concept of colour coordination...”

“You should be thankful,” said Kainé.

“I should? And how do you figure that?”

“Makes you look better in comparison,” she said, nodding.

2B made some kind of a scoffing sound. “How would you like it if there was another one of you roaming the streets, dragging your good name through the mud?”

“My good _what?_ I think I'm the one fucking it up for the team if there's two of us,” Kainé laughed.

“Hmm... I can see that,” mused 2B.

“Dick,” said Kainé, reaching up to lightly slap 2B on the arm, the latter of whom caught the offending wrist in her hand effortlessly.

“You know that's a bad idea,” whispered 2B, leaning closer. “Not to mention the fact that you're currently very sick.”

“'Very'? That's exaggerating,” said Kainé, biting her bottom lip.

“You know full well you couldn't get close even if you weren't,” breathed 2B. “But you already know that, don't you?”

“Maybe I just like the big strong girl taking control of the _very_ sick, fragile human,” she said, following up her flirting with another cough.

2B moved in to kiss her, prompting Kainé to protest.

“Hey, hold on, you'll catch – wait, never mind.”

They both laughed as their lips met.

“I'll go get you that tea,” said 2B with a gentle smile as she pulled away.

 

**

 

Unfortunately, the fragility of humans was not something to be underestimated. That cold had turned out to be a full-blown flu, and Kainé was less than pleased.

“It's been a whole fucking week,” she whined. “I'm gonna get fired _again_...”

“That's all you can think about? Your temperature is through the roof, you can hardly breathe, and nothing seems to stop the coughing...”

“I just don't wanna lose my job, that's all.”

2B leaned over to rest her head gently on her chest. Kainé's breathing was shallow, with heavy crackling when she breathed in. The android girl ached to be able to fix it for her, to be able to reach out to some kind of a console and tweak some settings, but there were no such shortcuts for humans.

“I'll make sure you don't,” 2B said in a reassuring and firm voice, and Kainé believed it. “You need to take your next antibiotics in an hour.”

“I know, jeez _mom_...”

2B sat up and lightly brushed Kainé's bangs from her lightly sweating forehead, drawing a cool, wet flannel across it. “I promised you I'd look after you, so if name calling is the worst of it, I think I'll push through it.”

“I feel like I haven't slept in days,” moaned Kainé, pulling on 2B's wrist to leave the flannel lying on her forehead.

“That's because you barely have,” said 2B, her tone of voice decidedly worried, before she asked in a more timid tone, “so tell me how to help you, please.”

“Just gotta wait it out,” sighed the silver-haired girl. “Sorry,” she added.

“Don't apologise, I'm just... I feel so useless.”

“You've sat here for five days straight taking care of me,” said an incredulous Kainé, “and you feel _useless_?”

“You aren't getting any better, so –”

“Honey,” began Kainé, tentatively trying out a pet name, something she had been wanting to do for a long time, “it doesn't work like that with us... it's just how it is. Even doing all the right things won't make it go away overnight, y'know?”

“It should,” said 2B, blushing a little from the new name she found herself paying far too much attention to. “I wish it did.”

“I know you do,” replied Kainé, rolling on to her side and reaching for 2B's hand. “You're just worrying too much, it happens to us all the damn time. You said it best – we're pretty fucking fragile. Pathetic, even.”

“I care about you more than you could imagine, that's all,” whispered 2B, immediately pushing her fingers between her lover's. “And... yes, you really are.”

For a time, they simply rested in each other's company, their hands still in place on top of the bedsheets. The original, government-issue black and white covers had long since been replaced with light, peachy-pink ones, at Kainé's admittedly embarrassed behest. ( _“They look nice, okay? Shut up.”_ ) The silence was occasionally broken by a hacking cough, or a long, drawn out single-nostril inhale, and 2B would squeeze Kainé's hand a little tighter every time.

“I swear, I'm gonna murder the next asshole that coughs on the same god-damn street as me...”

2B simply smiled. It was nice to know that she hadn't quite managed to tame her _entirely_.

“That was a sweet thing to call me,” she said, stroking the back of Kainé's hand with her thumb, as she had done so many months ago.

“Huh? Oh, right, that,” Kainé mumbled, blushing a bit. _Of course she'd make a fucking big deal out of it..._

“I don't mind,” 2B said, reassuringly. “Actually, it's... nice to be called something that isn't my designation, for once.”

“Man, that bothers you? Why didn't you say something?”

“It felt trivial, and... names are for humans.”

“For someone so much smarter than me, you are so,” another cough, “god-damn stupid sometimes...”

“It's not that simple,” said 2B. “The government would never allow me to take a human name, there's simply too many regulations and by-laws in place that –”

“Who's talking about any of that shit? If you wanted me to call you something different, you should've said so,” said Kainé, a look of utter confusion etched upon her pale features.

“Like what, though?” asked 2B, looking to the side.

“I mean... that's down to you, I guess,” said Kainé. “I thought about it before, but I never wanted to bring it up – it's your choice, you know?”

“I wouldn't know where to start, and it feels so... self-indulgent.”

“Most humans in the world aren't even worth the god-damn paper the names they're given are written on,” said Kainé, squeezing 2B's hand tightly. “Don't you ever fucking think that about yourself, alright? Just because they put some stupid shit in your head that says humans are what needs protecting – you do whatever feels right for _you_ , you hear me?”

“Here I am thinking I'm the one looking after you,” whispered 2B softly. “I'll... think about it.”

“Good,” said Kainé between sniffles, “and don't fucking keep things like that from me in future, okay?”

“I won't,” replied the smaller girl, who felt decidedly even smaller at that moment. “I'm sorry, it just felt like such a silly thing.”

“It's okay,” said Kainé, crawling closer to 2B's spot closer to the edge of the bed. “We'll be here for each other, like you said.”

“Mm,” murmured 2B, lying down next to her.

“Don't get too comfortable,” said Kainé. “I'm hungry as shit.”

“Tired of chicken soup yet?”

“Fuck no,” said Kainé, grinning. “That's one human cliché that really does hold up. Especially when you make it as good as you do.”

“I'll get right on it,” replied 2B, kissing her forehead, before tossing the flannel at her playfully as she got up to walk to the kitchen.

 

**

 

“See? I told you they wouldn't fire you,” said 2B, sipping her tea.

“Only because you looked like you'd rip his arms off if he suggested it,” replied Kainé with a laugh.

“Well, it's not my fault he's intimidated by someone who was retired seventeen generations before him,” 2B said, smirking.

“You can tell just by looking?”

“Of course,” came the reply. “You can tell how old a human is just by looking, can't you?”

“I guess that's right,” Kainé said, sheepishly. “At least neither of us can tell how old an insect is.”

“You can't?” teased 2B.

“Oh, fuck off...”

“At any rate, it's nice to be out with you again. And... I've decided something.”

“Mm? What's that?”

“That I'll take a name, even if it's just between us.”

“Oh? Gonna share?”

2B smiled, leaning in to whisper her suggestion in her ear.

“What do you think?”

“It suits you,” said Kainé, turning a shade of pink not dissimilar to their bedsheets at home. “It really does.”

“I'm glad you think so,” replied 2B, beaming.

 _God, that smile looks so fucking gorgeous on her... I wish it'd stay there forever,_ thought Kainé. “It's... actually kind of exciting.”

“What is?”

“That there's gonna be a first time I call you by it,” she said, returning the smile.

“I – I see...” stuttered 2B, caught off guard herself by the realisation.

“You wanna hear it right now, don't you?”

“I'm pretty sure I'm the one that's meant to in charge of this kind of teasing,” said 2B, her breath shaking.

“It's okay to switch it up sometimes, you don't _always_ have to be that girl, you know? I'm still all yours, and I'll still do anything you ask, so you don't have to put on so much of a show, okay?”

“Mm... alright,” she said, seemingly soothed. “Anything?”

“You already know the answer to that,” Kainé said, rolling her eyes. _Honestly, it's like she's scared I'm gonna say no to her someday. As if I ever fucking could._

“Say it, then...”

Kainé leaned in to her, her lips brushing against the tip of her ear, making the little android girl shiver in place. How fun it was to put her on the back foot, just for once.

“You're really so god-damn cute when you're like this, you know,” whispered Kainé, making the other girl melt into her, “ _Elizabeth._ ”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly nice things, some new things for 2[E]lizabeth to think about.  
> Writing familiar characters in new contexts is fun.

“Y'know how you met the people from my work, the other day?”

“Yes? Did I say something I shouldn't have?”

“Nah, nothing like that... it just got me curious, that's all.”

Elizabeth smiled at her. Curiosity from Kainé was always interesting, and she was ever eager to share what she could.

“What about?”

“You talked about the friends you had from the military before we met, right? What happened to them?”

“Oh, they moved across cities some time ago,” said Elizabeth, admittedly somewhat wistfully. “Too many memories here to stick around for good, they said.”

“Isn't this one of the few cities with this big of an android population, though?” asked Kainé, taking another dangerously large bite of her salad. Something about a 'new, healthy me', she had said. “Wouldn't it be better to stick around?”

“Don't talk with your mouth full, Kainé,” said Elizabeth, poking the other girl's cheek. “Those two never had any problems blending in, though. I'd really be surprised if anyone could tell.”

“Mm...”

“What is it?”

“It'd just be interesting to meet people you call your friends, that's all, I guess,” she said, going back in for another – decidedly smaller this time – bite.

“I can ask if they'd be interested. Although,” said Elizabeth, inclining her head slightly, “one of them may be slightly more enthusiastic than the other.”

“When was the last time you spoke?”

“Thirteen months ago,” she recalled.

“Oh, so they don't know about – well, us?”

“No, I imagine that'll come as quite a surprise to both of them.”

“What were their names? Or designations, I dunno.”

“6O and 9S. 6O was toying with taking a human name a while back to make things simpler, but I'm not sure if she went through with it or not.”

“What about 9S? Did she end up doing it?”

“He, and no, I don't think that'll happen. He hasn't had the best experiences with humans he's 'come clean' to, for lack of a better term, or so I've heard.”

“Why the fuck would someone give an android a hard time? You're the ones who made sure we didn't just go extinct, so... what?”

“Well, there are some who think that now the job is over and done with, we should neither be seen nor heard,” said Elizabeth with a shrug. “There aren't too many of them around, thankfully, but a handful of bad experiences over the years can sour you, I suppose.”

“Do you think he'll hate me?”

“No, not a chance. He trusted my judgement then, and I've no reason to think that'd change.”

“Huh. If you say so, then.”

“I'll see what they say, at any rate. But, just in case they _do_ happen to say yes...”

“What?”

“Actually... it'll be more interesting for you to find out what they're like for yourself.”

“Hmm,” was all Kainé said, taking another forkful of salad into her mouth.

“Can I have a taste of that?”

“You'll hate it,” she said, scooping up a variety of leaves and other assorted vegetable debris onto the fork, then pushing it lightly into the other girl's waiting mouth.

Elizabeth chewed for a small eternity, before swallowing with an expression that was equal parts utter disgust and severe emotional distress. “It's foul...”

“It's an acquired taste,” replied Kainé. “Well, you're only really about the sweet shit when it comes to food, aren't you?”

“It's simply the only thing that triggers a positive response in my taste receptors,” sighed Elizabeth. “Everything else is just so... bitter.”

“Agreed,” said Kainé, balancing the plastic salad box on her knees, reaching into her bag and pulling out a small bar of chocolate. She snapped off a couple of pieces inside the wrapper. “Never know when you'll get that damn craving, so I started carrying an emergency stash ever since that time we went for that walk by the river.”

“Don't bring that up, please,” said Elizabeth, turning a faint shade of pink. “It was just the once.”

“You did _not_ shut _up_ about chocolate for the entire fucking day,” Kainé said, laughing. “I'm not about to go through that again.”

“Funny,” pouted the android girl. “Are you going to hand that over, or just let it melt in your hand?”

“Open wide,” Kainé teased. Elizabeth looked at her for half a second with a look that screamed 'seriously?', but then obliged after a moment. “Better?”

“Much,” she said, savouring the taste as it melted on her tongue.

“Don't worry,” said Kainé, “I won't embarrass you like that in front of your friends.”

“No, they'll be taking care of embarrassing me, I assume.”

“Oh? Things I don't know?”

“Some.”

“Tell?”

“God no.”

“Tell me, or I'll pinch you on that one spot behind the knee that makes you squeak like a dog toy.”

“Pinch away,” said Elizabeth. “What was that expression you have? 'A girl has to have some secrets'?”

“Such a cop-out,” snorted Kainé, upending the last remnants of her lunch into her mouth. “Well, maybe they'll spill the beans a little easier.”

“Perhaps,” said Elizabeth, smiling a little despite herself, “and I do _not_ squeak like a dog toy...”

 

**

 

_“2B!_ Aw, it's been forever!” exclaimed a short, blonde-haired girl with parted braids, practically sprinting across the room before throwing her arms around the slightly taller android. The new arrival was wearing a white, off-the-shoulder spring dress, patterned with red roses, with matching white flats and a hairband.

“It has,” replied Elizabeth, returning the gesture, with a little less backbreaking gusto. “How have you been keeping?”

“Good! Things are going great, I just got my own place, finally, and – oh my gosh, is this her?”

_You never change,_ thought Elizabeth to herself, the faintest hint of a smirk on her face. “Yes, that's 'her'. 6O, this is Kainé, my partner. Kainé, this is 6O, probably the best Operator we –”

“Oh, shh, you,” said 6O, pushing her outstretched palm towards Elizabeth's mouth to silence her. “It's so nice to meet you! 2B told me so much about you last night.”

Kainé shot Elizabeth a 'you-can-tell-me-all-about-what-you-said-last-night-later' look, before standing up to give a polite hug to the girl. “Yeah, you too. I hear you're the excitable one.”

“You heard right,” replied 6O with a wink, before she turned to Elizabeth. “9S is gonna be a little late, he said he had a gift? I dunno, I told him you'd be all, 'no, you shouldn't have', but he wouldn't listen. Like always! I swear, that boy...”

“I'll get us some drinks, then,” said Kainé, smiling. It really was nice to get to meet one of the most important people in what was essentially her former life. “What d'you want, 6O?”

“Oh, black tea for me,” she said, nodding. “It's the only thing that –”

“– doesn't mess your insides up for days, I know, don't worry. Elizabeth?”

6O's head slowly turned to her friend, a giant beaming grin forming across her tiny features.

“The same, please,” she said, very aware of the eyes on her.

“Alright, back in a minute,” said Kainé, apparently unaware of the situation she'd just landed her girlfriend in, turning to walk to the counter.

_“Elizabeth?”_ said 6O, incredulously.

“It's what I – well, we – decided on,” she said, shrugging. “It feels nice.”

“It _is_ nice! Aw, I never could pick one in the end...”

“It'll come to you, I'm sure. Doesn't it make it difficult, though? I thought there wasn't a big android population where you moved.”

“I found myself a nice little circle of friends, so it's not too bad... there's this one little girl who always comes with her mom to the floristry group I run, though, and she can't say my designation right, so it's just like, 'how much longer are you gonna call me _Sicko_ , sweetie'...”

“You run a floristry group? I should've expected something like that,” said Elizabeth, looking thoughtful.

“Yeah, it's nice, and the people who show up are all so kind,” 6O went on. “I think you have to be kind to do that sorta thing though, y'know? You don't get a lot of jerks turning up to ask how to cut the stem off a desert rose. How about you? Keeping busy?”

“I cook,” replied Elizabeth with a little shrug.

“You do? Weird hobby for someone like us to have, isn't it?”

“Well... I had a reason to get good at it.”

“Aaah, of course you did,” giggled 6O. “So, how long?”

“Seven months and two weeks,” said Elizabeth, barely able to stop herself from matching 6O's own wide grin, “and four days.”

“Aw, but you knew each other before that, right?”

“Two years, yes.”

“Jeez... I guess that's a long time for her.”

“It was a long time for me to wait, too.”

“I bet,” said 6O. “I've never seen you look at someone like that before! Exciting...”

“Exciting is the word, yes,” said Elizabeth, reining in her silly smile as Kainé returned with three pots of tea, and a hot chocolate for herself.

“I figured he'll want the same when he shows,” shrugged Kainé, “if not, more for you, right?”

“Aw, you're a thoughtful one, aren'tcha?”

“You wouldn't say that if you met me a few years back,” Kainé replied, with a smirk. “This one here brought out that side.”

6O drew her hands to either side of her face, before letting out a loud sigh. “You two are totally the dream...”

“How's your life in that regard?” asked Elizabeth, genuinely curious.

“Oh, you know, here and there,” said 6O. “There's a nice girl at my group I kinda like, but...”

“Like you, or like me?” interjected Kainé.

“Haha, like you, like you... that's why it's hard, y'know? I don't wanna be all like 'let's date' if she doesn't see me the same,” she replied.

“Is it really such a big deal to people?”

“Hmm... well, not many people are outright rude enough to say they wouldn't date an android, so it's kinda hard to tell if they think that way. But... no, I wouldn't say so, really? I'm probably just overthinking it, as usual.”

“You are,” said Elizabeth, plainly. “You should ask.”

“Sheesh, I've been here ten minutes and you're already back to ordering me around,” laughed 6O. “Fine, fine! I'll do it next time I see her.”

“Good,” Elizabeth said. “What about 9S? Wasn't he interested in –”

“– 21O? Yeah, I think they're still seeing each other on and off. You'll have to ask him though, we don't talk _that_ much – oh, he's here now!”

A short boy, with hair as white as Elizabeth's pushed his way through the door, clad in a simple white shirt and black shorts, matched with combat boots that looked far too big for him.

“Man, this is surreal,” were the first words out of the small android boy's mouth. “It's been a while, huh?”

Elizabeth stood up to hug him first, and 6O didn't stop her.

“It's good to see you, Nines.”

“Oh, uh... you too, 2B,” he said, being squeezed quite tightly.

“She's not 2B!” squealed 6O excitedly from the sofa. “Ask her!”

“Uh... hey, 6O. What's she talking about?”

“I took a name, and apparently she's more excited about it than I am,” said Elizabeth, rolling her eyes. “Elizabeth, in case you wondered.”

“Suits you,” replied 9S, before breaking away from her to look behind her. “You're Kainé, then?” He asked, with a smile.

“Lemme guess, you've already heard so much about me too?” she faux-groaned. He was the shortest of anyone present – he looked barely over sixteen, though she knew that he was probably more than a fair amount older than her in reality. She'd ask him another time, if she got the chance.

“How'd you know? Ah,” he said, looking to 6O, who in turn looked away from everyone, feigning innocence. “I get it. Yeah, a fair bit! You look different to how I thought you would, though.”

“How come?”

“Oh, I thought you'd be shorter,” remarked the boy. “She likes to mess with people if she's taller than them, it would _totally_ have fit in with –”

“Enough from you,” said Elizabeth, smiling all the same. “You're right about one thing though, it is a little surreal.”

“Yeah, tell me about it...” said 6O. “The last time I actually _saw_ you, Nines, was like... oh, the retirement ceremony?”

“Yeah, that's right. You cried like a baby the whole time.”

“Did not...”

“Uh, 'Nines'?” Kainé cut in, a little confused, before turning to Elizabeth. “He's 9S, right?”

“It's a nickname,” she replied. “One that he'd never shut up about until we all called him by it.”

“When you put it that way, you make it sound like I held a sword to your throat...” he whined.

“You may as well have,” replied Elizabeth.

“Yeah, you bugged 21O about it for a month straight until she finally caved,” giggled 6O. “Oh! Speaking of, are you two still...?”

“Yeah, we are,” he said, a little smugly. “Oh, that's something, yeah. We're moving in together, but she wants to move back here for work, so... I guess we'll be seeing more of you?”

Kainé watched their interactions with interest. They talked as if they'd never really been apart at all – not to mention that she had never seen Elizabeth interact properly with anyone that wasn't her, ever.

“Aw snacks,” said 6O, “that means I gotta get you guys some house warming gifts... I mean, congratulations!”

“Very funny,” said 9S. “Speaking of gifts though, I got you something...”

“Here it comes,” muttered Elizabeth under her breath.

“Nah, it's something you'll actually be able to put to use, don't worry,” said 9S, handing over a plain looking envelope to Elizabeth. “21O pulled some strings at work, that's uh... that's all the paperwork you need to get all your old combat parts removed. Usually it'd cost you, but 21O wanted to do something nice for you.”

Elizabeth's eyes opened a little wider as she ran her finger over the top edge of the envelope, slowly.

“I see,” she said, a little taken aback.

“Well, we both had it done already – we could get one for you too, 6O, if you like – we just figured, we're really getting kinda outdated, you know? If something breaks, it's a total pain in the ass now to find a replacement that works with everything else, so we just... well, we thought it'd make sense if we just ran bare-bones systems.”

“Yeah,” said Elizabeth, seemingly lost in thought.

“What've you guys been doing for maintenance, now they stopped the routine ones?”

“You remember 13O?” 6O said. “She's in my city – we don't really talk much, but we do our monthlies together, so it hasn't been _too_ much of a pain. You're right though, I'm kinda worried that something does just give out on me.”

“Kainé takes care of it,” Elizabeth said, still turning over the envelope in her hands.

“Wow... seriously? That's so cool,” said 6O, turning to her. “When did you learn how to...? I-if you don't mind me asking, anyway!”

“She talked me through it the first few times, kind of like a practice round,” said Kainé with a little shrug, “then I started actually paying attention to what everything was, so it doesn't really take much longer than her old appointments used to, now.”

“Aww, that's so sweet... like, seriously, I can't think of many humans who'd go to those lengths,” said 6O, a little overcome with emotion.

“Me either,” said 9S, turning to Elizabeth. “You're lucky, you know that, right?”

“You don't live with me,” Kainé said quickly. “I'm a total nightmare.”

“It's true,” confirmed Elizabeth, slipping the envelope into her bag. “The mess is unbelievable.”

“Well, at any rate, there's no pressure, and there's no expiry on that,” said 9S. “I know it's a weird thought, and it _is_ kinda weird, but getting rid of all the stuff we won't need again was kinda freeing, in a way. Felt like I could actually move on, y'know?”

“Kept your hacking module though, I bet”, grinned 6O.

“Well, yeah,” he replied, grinning. “Way too useful.”

“I'm surprised they let you keep that as a civilian,” said Elizabeth, her eyebrows knitting into a little frown.

“Y-yeah, haha, totally above board...”

“That was 21O's doing to have them overlook it, no doubt?”

“Well, once I told her how much help it'd be to get some of her routine stuff out of the way, she was way more open to seeing things my way.”

“Isn't it unusual for androids to work at the government offices?” asked Kainé. From her – admittedly limited – understanding, it was staffed mostly by humans.

“Yeah, it is, but she was so good at her job, I think they found it hard to say no,” said 6O, thoughtfully. “I doubt they'll find anyone like her again, she really is incredible.”

“So were you,” Elizabeth pointed out. “You always were too modest for your own good.”

“I already told you to shh! I did okay, but I never could multi-task like her,” 6O said, blushing. “It's just a personality thing! I don't mind, I was always better at having nice little information packages ready for you on the mission area...”

“You did, although the ribbons around the paperwork were perhaps a little unnecessary.”

“Says you! Look at your cute bracelets,” 6O said, gesturing at Elizabeth's bare arm, adorned with three different accessories.

“Kainé made me those... before we started seeing each other,” she whispered, thoroughly embarrassed. “I like to wear them, they're special to me. Time changes things, I suppose.”

“Yeah, it really does,” said 6O with a smile. “You haven't changed that much, though.”

If Elizabeth was embarrassed, Kainé was positively desperate to burrow into the sofa. _Special to her? Man, for how long? Shit, that's cute..._

Elizabeth seemed to notice that fact, placing her hand over her partner's. “I don't think people change much, they just get to show other sides of themselves.”

“Mm, fair point! When're you gonna show us a different side of _you_ , huh? Huh?” she chided, nudging 9S with her elbow repeatedly.

“I'll never get the chance if you keep that up,” he whined. “I'm fragile, you know.”

The conversation carried on, back and forth, for some time. Kainé mostly sat back and listened, unless she was spoken to directly, or asked a question, and Elizabeth held her hand and squeezed her fingers tightly occasionally.

After a few refills of drinks, and many hours of story sharing and catching up, they decided to part company for the time being, with 6O promising she'd come visit more often, and 9S saying he'd be in touch to discuss the timescale of his move.

“Well, you're both more than welcome at ours any time,” said Elizabeth, making Kainé flush pink again at the reminder that it was _their_ house, not just hers. “And obviously 21O, too.”

“Aw, I'll have to take you up on that! I wanna try your cooking too,” said 6O, wrapping a little cardigan around her shoulders.

“Yeah, we'll be over before we move, don't worry,” said 9S, gathering his things together. “Maybe we can try to synch it up?”

“That'd be great!” exclaimed 6O. “I haven't seen 21O in for-ev-er...”

“She misses you too,” he replied. “I mean, if you're not busy or anything, you can come back with me and spend the night? I'm sure she'd love to catch up too, y'know?”

“Aw, really?! Sure! Anyway,” said 6O, turning to Kainé, “it was super great to get to meet you. I hope we'll get to hang out properly soon?”

“You bet,” Kainé said, smiling. She felt as if she'd truly made at least one new friend today – a feeling she hadn't had since she first started talking to Elizabeth, then just 2B. It occurred to her that she hadn't thought of her as her designation since the first time the new name had been whispered in her ear, and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about that yet.

“Anyways, we'd better get going – ah man, such an emotional day... and it's not even over,” 6O whined. “I'll stay in touch, okay? Oh! Kainé, what's your birth month?”

“May,” she responded. “Why?”

“Lily of the valley... got it! See ya!”

Elizabeth nodded, watching them turn and wave one last time before they disappeared around the corner.

“That girl's something...”

“She is,” said Elizabeth, still holding Kainé's hand.

“Did the kid seem a little... off to you?”

“Oh, so you noticed too? I'm not sure, either it's just being back in this city, or it's taking a while to sink in that I didn't end up with another android like he did...”

“Well, either way, he'll probably come round in the end, right?”

“No doubt,” she said. “It's just a matter of when.”

“Mm... today was nice though. Know why?”

“Why?”

“You smiled a lot.”

“Oh, be quiet,” said Elizabeth, blushing.

“I actually think I'll get on well with her, though. She's so god-damn nice it's impossible _not_ to like her...”

“Mm...”

“You're still thinking about what he said, aren't you?”

“And you're getting better at reading me,” replied Elizabeth. “It's hard not to think about it.”

“Well, doesn't seem like that hard of a decision to me. If it's gonna make your life easier, why not get it done?”

“Can we talk about this one at home, too?”

Kainé's expression softened. “Sure. Wanna head back now then, or...?”

“After I taste you,” said Elizabeth, looking up at her. She looked a little sad, or like she wasn't quite focusing on her surroundings.

“Because I'm me, or because I taste of chocolate right now?” she said, her eyes rolling off to the side.

“Both,” said Elizabeth, before stealing the kiss anyway.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a while, and probably had the most effort put into it of any chapter of any fic I've ever written.  
> Humans and androids? They ain't so different!
> 
> Please leave a comment if you have the time, especially if you want to critique my writing. I'm writing this mostly as practice, and I'd really appreciate if you take issue with anything here. (Leave a comment anyway though, I LOVE to read them and get them! Please and thank you!)

Elizabeth rolled over on to her back, with a heavy sigh. Kainé was fast asleep not even a few inches away, facing toward her. Her face was the very picture of bliss, her mouth slightly agape, the corners of her lips turned up into a little smile. Elizabeth might have envied humans, at that moment. Being able to dream could be nice, she thought.

Then she shook her head. Her mind was overrun with thoughts while she _wasn't_ in rest mode – that was more than enough to handle without being plagued at night-time, too.

She stroked the backs of her fingers against Kainé's cheek, and she made a soft, satisfied noise in her sleep. She knew full well that she would support her whatever she decided, but still, that didn't make it any easier on _her_.

If only he hadn't put that decision in front of her, she'd be lying comfortably next to her partner, without a single care in the world. Was it really so necessary? Was she so at risk of coming to pieces at any given moment that this was the safer option? What was the worst that could happen, anyway? So a part broke, and it happened to be something that couldn't be replaced – she could just live without it, surely.

Elizabeth sat on that thought for a few minutes, nudging it around her logic circuits. No, she thought, after a while. It wouldn't work out that way. She recalled losing function in a servo, or a stabiliser in a leg, and how infuriating it was. That was why it was all or nothing, she reasoned. At least if everything was removed at once, she could calibrate all of her settings at that point, and go on from there.

Even so, though, there was something... terrifying about the thought of it. Her entire life had revolved around fighting. Her body was everything to her. Feeling safe in the new life she had been landed in, so long ago, was everything to her. Would she be able to defend herself if she was jumped in the street? Gods, never mind that, would she be able to keep Kainé safe? It wasn't as if she would suddenly forget decades of combat manoeuvres, but what if she lacked the brute strength necessary to overcome a situation like that?

What a terrible curse, she thought. Her only options were to slowly degrade over time, becoming more and more useless, perhaps even severely compromised, or to speed up the process herself, and hand herself over to fate, to be as fragile as –

_Wait_.

She looked at Kainé, sleeping peacefully beside her, and found herself feeling a pang of guilt. Those were exactly the two things that she had no choice in. Kainé would age, and degrade, much as she would, albeit with a different timescale, or she would fall victim to some human disease that robbed her of something or other. Elizabeth had seen only too recently how fragile humans were – a simple cough next to her had been enough to see her bedridden for a week.

She felt so stupid. This was nothing different to what humans simply had to accept. Loathe as she was to admit it, it meant there was only one choice for her. She wouldn't be an inconvenience to her. She wouldn't make her sit there for hours, performing maintenance on her, trying to keep her together, or trying to tweak settings and parts to stay in place, or continue to do their job. She wouldn't put her through the stress, and the anxiety.

“Kainé,” she whispered, brushing the girl's silver hair away from her forehead. “Kainé...”

“Mm... what's the matter...” came the drowsy reply.

“I love you,” said Elizabeth, kissing her on the nose.

“Oh... love you... too...” murmured Kainé with a smile, before she drifted off again.

“I'll do it,” breathed Elizabeth, after the fact. “I'll do it for you.”

 

**

 

“I can't do that,” said 9S, holding his hands up. “I can't, I didn't even do my own, or hers, I can't.”

“There's nobody else I trust,” Elizabeth said, her voice taking on a panicked tone. “Have you researched this? They had to flat out decommission over two hundred androids last year because they didn't get it right! They aren't trained properly, they –”

“Of course I researched it, I had it done! You don't think I was damn well terrified the whole time? When they told me they'd need to shut me down 'just for a bit' so they could get at things that shouldn't be got at? What choice did I have?”

_What choice indeed,_ she thought. It was hard to take issue with a statement like that, backed so soundly by the logic and conclusions that she herself had arrived at.

“I trust _you_ ,” Elizabeth repeated. “I can't let them do that to me. I can't.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because if something were to happen, Kainé wouldn't know what to do without me.” She wasn't full of herself. Far from it, her opinion of herself in the grand scheme of things was sitting firmly just below average. She simply knew that Kainé felt the same way as she did, and if she lost her, then –

“Right,” 9S said, looking to the side. “I figured.”

“And what's that supposed to mean?”

“I just... can't believe you chose someone like her, that's all.”

“That's a joke, right?”

“Do I look like I'm laughing?”

“What happened to you, Nines? A few run-ins with a few shit examples of the species, and it's enough to paint them all with that damn hideous colour?” asked Elizabeth, feeling a mix of anger, betrayal and hurt coalescing in the pit of her stomach, as some of Kainé's choice words found their way to her tongue.

“That's what you think it was? 'A few run-ins'? You seriously don't know?”

“Know _what?_ ”

“They tried to have me put down like a dog,” he said, bitterly, his face hot. “All because I broke protocol to save _their_ sorry asses.”

Elizabeth swallowed her fury.

“I even told them, they were open to a virus – I told them there's a back door in the system, I told them they could lose control of their entire military, and every single android on the planet would be their enemy if they didn't listen. And guess what? They didn't listen,” he said, breathing heavily. “I told them they were making a mistake, and they acted like I was insane. But then what? I was supposed to just let that happen? We're fighting for _them_ after all, right? Was I supposed to waste centuries of _our_ progress just because they told me no?”

She remained silent, watching his features contort in anger and sadness as he spoke.

“I hacked in, and I fixed it. I god damn fixed it for them. The next thing I know, I'm being dragged in front of the Director, being told I'm a traitor, and I'd be decommissioned within the month.”

“So how – ”

“The only reason,” he went on, ignoring her, “the only god damn reason I'm still here now is because of 21O. She put her own neck on the line to say that I only took a look at it, and I turned out to be wrong, and I didn't do any tampering. She edited _weeks_ of records manually, one line at a time, so it'd look just as it should.”

“I... I had no idea...”

“Right, so you'll excuse me if I don't want to risk having the guilt of being the one to blow it hanging over my head for the rest of my days, just because you want to do it for your stupid pet human! Just so she can feel _better_ about not having to spend a half hour extra taking care of you!”

Elizabeth spoke slowly, and as softly as she could.

“Kainé isn't like that,” she said. “You saw her for yourself. You know what she'd do for me.”

“Shut up,” he replied, tears falling from his face, his head hung low.

“Have you ever seen 6O so natural with anyone before, besides us? You know how she is... do you really think she'd open up so easily to someone she didn't trust, even at first glance? She's a better judge of character than either of us are.”

“I know that,” he said, his voice shaking. “I know! I just... I can't! Not for...”

“I'm sorry,” she said, forgetting her own plight for now. “I didn't know.”

“I just need some space,” he said, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. “I shouldn't have said those things, I'm sorry... I still – I still can't, but I'm sorry...”

“I'll figure something out,” said Elizabeth, quietly, holding him tightly as he began to sob freely into her sweater. “It'll be okay.”

“Will it?” he asked, as if she held all the answers.

“In time, yes,” she said, more hoping than confirming. “She noticed you barely spoke to her, you know. She thought she had done something wrong.”

“It's just so hard to trust,” he managed to say, as he wept. “It's so hard.”

“I know,” she whispered, “I know.”

 

**

 

Kainé was waiting for her anxiously in the hallway, and had been since she heard the car pull up to the driveway. It had been an anxious few hours, and she had found herself entirely unable to focus on anything. Reading, watching the TV, exercising – it had all taken a back seat to the anxiety at the forefront of her mind.

“Hey,” she said, practically pouncing on Elizabeth as she closed the door behind her. “How'd it go?”

Elizabeth turned around slowly to look her in the eye – the expression on her face told Kainé everything that she needed to know.

“That bad?”

“Yeah, that bad.”

“Want to talk?”

“ _Need_ to.”

Elizabeth began to take off her shoes, and Kainé moved through to the living room to arrange the cushions on the sofa, before making herself comfortable in the corner. Elizabeth made to sit on the edge, but Kainé nudged her with her foot until the other girl took the hint that she wished to hold her as she lay against her.

“So, start from the beginning, and take your time, okay?”

Elizabeth went through all of the events of the afternoon, sparing only one detail, while Kainé held her tight around her stomach, resting her chin on her shoulder. She gasped from time to time at some of the revelations, but didn't interrupt, or say a word until she was finished.

“That's fucked up,” Kainé said. “Now I get why he couldn't look at me for more than a few seconds.”

“From what I understand, he's been taking on odd jobs to work on from home so he doesn't feel useless, and spending all of his time with 21O,” Elizabeth said with a sigh. “He said it was the first time he'd left the house in months.”

“Then how's he gonna move here? You said there were too many memories for him.”

“I assume he'll go wherever she goes,” she replied. “I suppose that part isn't too hard to understand. After everything she's done for him, I don't see him ever wanting to leave her side again. He feels safe with her – and he should.”

“I guess,” Kainé mumbled. “Well, so much for trusting your judgement, if he feels that way about me.”

“He doesn't feel that way about _you_ , he just can't accept the concept. He feels guilty for how he acted, but he can't help it. It's tearing him up.”

“D'you think it's possible for him to come around?”

“Not as far as this is concerned, no... he might come to accept you once he realises you're not going anywhere, but I'm not sure my reasoning for wanting him to do the procedure will ever be enough for him.”

“You never told me why you decided to go through with it,” Kainé said, kissing her shoulder softly. “You don't have to, but it's not like I don't wanna know.”

“For you,” she said, quietly. No details spared now, then.

Kainé flushed pink, although she probably could have guessed as much.

“Couldn't I do it, then?”

Elizabeth smiled. She had expected that line.

“It's not that I don't trust you, but no. It's not just checking things and running tests, things have to be removed in a certain order – and I don't even know that order.”

“Mm,” murmured Kainé, grudgingly. She knew she was right. She just simply wished there was more she could do.

“At any rate,” Elizabeth went on, “I'm not going to come apart at the seams any time soon, so we have plenty of time to find another solution.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Still stings a bit, though.”

“It does,” said Elizabeth in a short manner, keen to change subjects now before Kainé felt too guilty for being unable to fix it. “Are you still meeting with 6O for lunch tomorrow?”

“Yeah, she was really excited about it, I didn't really wanna say no. Coming with?”

“No, I think it'll be nice for you to spend some time together. She's probably the kindest person you'll ever meet.”

“What're you gonna do with your day, then?”

“There's something I have in storage I'd like to find,” said Elizabeth. “At the very least, I'd like to try to find out more about what has to be done.”

“Alright,” replied Kainé, taking hold of the other girl's hand. “Let's go take a bath, and then we can get some rest, alright? I've already eaten, so don't worry about cooking.”

“I told you before, we don't need to bathe. I only had that room refitted for you.”

“I never heard you complaining the last time,” Kainé breathed in her ear.

“No,” said Elizabeth, smiling gently, eager to take her mind off of the events of the day, at least for a little while, “you didn't.”

 

**

 

The morning came around quicker than expected. Elizabeth prepared breakfast for Kainé, as usual – a healthy selection of a breakfast muffin, a selection of fruit, and some fresh yoghurt. Her health kick, it seemed, was here to stay. Elizabeth would never lecture her on how to eat, or keep herself in shape, but she was secretly glad that she was looking after her body, and she took no small amount of pleasure in preparing her meals for her.

Kainé was looking through her admittedly sparse wardrobe to pick out an outfit for the day, and resolved to drag 6O shopping with her later on. The girl looked like she had good taste in clothes, and they'd be out anyway, so why not, she figured.

She settled on a white crop top that finished just below her ribcage, and a pair of light tan leather shorts, with matching gladiator sandals. It was a nice day, but she didn't want to overdress. Her style was by no means stereotypically girly, but she had no desire to act the tomboy, either. Both sets of nails were painted a striking metallic silver, that complemented her hair perfectly. All in all, she felt comfortable.

“You look pleasing,” Elizabeth said, passing Kainé her breakfast as she sat down at the small table that occupied one corner of the living room.

“That's your favourite word, isn't it? I taste pleasing, look pleasing, my laugh is pleasing...”

“You smell and feel pleasing too, if you were wondering.”

“I aim to _please,_ ” she said, digging in to her muffin.

“Are you all set?”

“Pretty much,” she said, spraying small crumbs of said muffin as she spoke, “I'm gonna head in soon, so I'm not the late one for once.”

“I've told you not to talk with your mouth full,” Elizabeth sighed.

“You asked me a god-damn question right after I –”

“ _Anyway,_ ” said Elizabeth, “make sure not to let her keep you out too late. She's notorious for getting carried away.”

“Why, worried about me in the big scary city?”

_Yes_ , was the truthful answer. She had no qualms staying out until the early hours with her if she was present, but 6O was no combat model. If anything happened...

“Hey, you there?”

“No, I'm not worried,” said Elizabeth. It'd be fine. She had simply grown so used to being by Kainé's side, almost every hour of every day besides her work, that any time she spent away from her was an unknown. A terrifying unknown.

“Alright, good, I didn't want you to go buying a leash or something. I'll be fine,” she said, sensing that _something_ was up. “We'll probably get lunch, catch a shitty movie, and then I wanna get some new clothes.”

“I'll be waiting to see what you pick out when you're home,” said Elizabeth, doing her best to eliminate all traces of whatever had given her away.

“Yeah yeah, of course,” said Kainé with a mildly dismissive wave of her hand, as if she was surprised she had to even bring it up. “Maybe I'll get something nice just to wear just for you, not like I've been blowing cash left right and center.”

“I'd like that,” Elizabeth said, before gesturing at her clock. “Come on, you're going to miss the train if you sit here all morning. And keep your language to yourself, she's too innocent for that.”

“Alright mom, I'm going, don't worry,” she said, stuffing her mouth with the last remaining mix of yoghurt and fruit. “I'll see you later, okay? We'll catch up tonight.”

With that, she gave a tender, slightly-longer-than-she-had-to-stay-for kiss to Elizabeth, before turning on her heel and closing the door behind her.

 

**

 

Emerging from the subway into the light, Kainé stretched her arms out in front of her and took a look around. She hadn't been to the retail district in quite some time, even with Elizabeth, and it had changed a fair bit since then. Newer, taller buildings had sprung up from seemingly nowhere, replacing what was once a string of local business – some of which had been geared towards androids, Kainé noted.

Looking around, everything looked a little more vibrant than it did – at least in terms of colour. There was a new food market, selling all manner of fruits, vegetables, and fresh fish hauled in from the coast. It clashed somewhat with the new, clean style of the nearly all-glass shopping complex that she was headed towards, but it was at least nice to see that there was _some_ life returning to the city. If you were a human, at least.

Kainé was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed that 6O had been walking beside her for the past minute or so, simply watching her face from the side in silence. She jumped a little when she finally realised, making 6O giggle.

“You were on another planet, there, weren't you?”

“Yeah, I think so...”

“Well, this place is nice, isn't it? I've never been to this side of the city before,” she said cheerily. “Hi, by the way!”

“Hi to you too,” Kainé replied, her heart still beating a little faster from the surprise. “Yeah, I was just caught up thinking how this place had changed.”

“Well, I wouldn't know, but I can't imagine it was as lively as this!” 6O said, looking around excitedly. “Oh, are those fresh berries? I'm gonna go buy some!”

She bounded off without looking back, leaving Kainé to simply stare at what was almost a dust trail behind her. As she struck up a conversation with the stall owner, Kainé admired her outfit. 6O was wearing a short denim skirt, with the whitest of the white opaque stockings, and black flats, replete with a loose-fitting, flowing white blouse and a cute straw hat that sat neatly on top of her hair. A good choice of a shopping partner, she wagered.

“These are so delicious,” said 6O, skipping back over to her.

“Those haven't been washed, you know...”

“Oh _nooo_... what if I get... _germs_?! That'll totally be the end of me, for sure,” she said, rolling her eyes and stuffing her face with more.

Kainé truly couldn't have helped making that mistake. She was having a hard time believing that 6O wasn't simply an excitable teenager masquerading as an android that had been through decades of war.

“Alright, alright,” said Kainé, giving the girl a playful shove, and making her laugh. “Where to first?”

“I dunno, it's your city! Your text said something about a movie?”

“Yeah, I was thinking we may as well make the most of the day while you're here,” Kainé said, eyeing the berries and wishing she didn't care about getting sick again. “Anything you're into?”

“Hmm... I like the girly stuff, but then, I like the macho war movies too... so whatever you want, I guess!”

“You like _war_ movies?” asked Kainé, a little taken aback.

“Hey, it wasn't all bad,” replied 6O, reaching back into her bag of fruit. “Our generation did pretty good, you know? We were super high-tech for the time, so we had minimal losses, made a _ton_ of progress, and team Operator had more downtime than we knew what to do with.”

That changed Kainé's image of the war a little bit. Come to think of it, it was something she never really brought up with Elizabeth. Probably because it was in the past, and probably because she had assumed it might be a touchy subject. Maybe she'd ease into it with this, if she ever wanted to know more from her.

“Besides, who _cares_ what it's about? As long as it's a good story, it's all good. I mean, even if it's bad, who cares? We can just laugh about it over lunch, right?”

“Guess you're right,” said Kainé, relaxing into the other girl's presence. She really was just one of those 'happy to be here' types.

“I'm always right about most stuff,” said 6O with a wink.

_You probably are_ , thought Kainé.

 

**

 

“Oh my god, that was the _worst!_ ”

“Don't blame me, you're the one who wanted to see it because of the name...”

“How could a movie called _'Flowers of the Secret World'_ be bad?! I just don't _get_ it...”

“You ever hear the phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover? I think that goes for movie names too.”

“Oh, be quiet... at least the girl in it was cute.”

“Yeah, a shame they hid her behind all those stupid flowers for most of the movie,” Kainé laughed.

“Whoa, hey,” said 6O, her voice taking on an incredibly false angry tone, “if you don't want me to shove every last one of these dirty, unwashed berries into your mouth, you won't say flowers are stupid ever again.”

“Okay, okay,” said Kainé, struggling to contain her laughter. It had been a long while since she had laughed with anyone other than Elizabeth, and it was refreshing. Briefly, she wondered how her search was coming along, for whatever it was she was looking for.

“Wanna get lunch?” 6O offered.

“Yeah, but what're you gonna do? Just watch me eat?”

“Nope! I rarely get to do stuff like this, so I'll deal with it. Besides, there's actually this place I wanted to try out... we walked past it on the way here.”

They walked back along the main street, before ducking into the alley they had taken a shortcut through thanks to Kainé's – admittedly outdated, but still useful – knowledge of the area.

“Pizza? That's what you wanted to try?”

“I never had it!”

“That's sadder than any war story,” said Kainé, shaking her head and prompting a fresh round of giggles from 6O.

“Well, tell them no anchovies, or I'm a goner anyway. The one weakness... of an android...” she said, clutching her chest with one hand and grabbing tightly onto Kainé's arm with the other. “Oily... fish...”

“You're really something,” she said, echoing her sentiments from their first meeting, but smiling all the same.

“Well, never mind that, I wanna get the biggest, cheesiest –”

“How much can you even eat?”

“As much as I like! We'll share a big one, though,” 6O said, nodding. She was awfully well-versed on pizzas for someone who had never been near one. Perhaps Elizabeth did the same sort of research on her favourite chocolates, too.

After they ordered, the conversation began to flow a little more freely, now that they were neither walking nor paying attention to a screen.

“Hey, about what the kid said... you thought about it any?”

“Hmm... well, 9S is usually right about _that_ kinda stuff, so it's hard to ignore the facts,” said 6O, resting her chin on her hands. “But... I think I'm okay with waiting it out for a bit.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, if something goes really wrong, then I'll do it, but until then... I'm happy as I am.”

“Huh...”

“I'm guessing you talked to 2B – oopsie, force of habit – Elizabeth about it, then?”

“Oh, we talked about it alright. She went to 9S to ask him to do it, and it didn't go down well.”

“That's weird, he's done stuff like that for her before,” said 6O, her face puzzled. “Did he say why not?”

“Yeah, because... she was mostly doing it for me.”

“Ah.”

“You know about that too, huh?”

“I helped 21O cover it up, yeah... it wasn't easy, but we managed to get him off the hook in the end. He's been really uncomfortable with pretty much any direct contact with... well, people like you, like you say, ever since – he's not stupid, he knows he has to interact with them, but... he doesn't have to get close, you know?”

“Yeah, I figured something was up that day.”

“That's why I was trying to talk so much... I knew how he'd be, and Elizabeth isn't the chattiest at the best of times, so...”

“I get it,” Kainé said, sullenly.

“Well, I think maybe _you_ should talk to him. He knows that if you're with her, you're obviously alright, he just... needs to hear this stuff from you, I think.”

“D'you actually think he'll listen to me?”

“He might,” said 6O, thoughtfully. “It's worth a shot, isn't it? Even if he doesn't change his mind on that one thing, he might end up being a bit more comfortable around you at least, and that'll make everyone's life easier if he's moving closer, won't it?”

“Mm... if it'll make things better for her too, then yeah, alright, I'll ask,” she said, smiling at the waitress politely as she set down the colossal pizza in front of them.

“You really do love her, don't you?”

“Everyone seems to find it real damn hard to believe, apparently,” Kainé said, helping herself to a slice.

“No no, it's not that, but... see it from our point of view – we're the same, in that we feel things, see things the same as you, laugh at things, but in the end we're still just something you guys made to help you win a war, right?”

“Right,” said Kainé, finding that description beyond distasteful. They were just people, the same as her.

“And so, it's just so... wonderful, to know that we can still be loved in that way, by the people we looked up to for so long, you know? It makes me so happy she found someone like you...”

“Not that I think I'm hot shit, but I'm happy too. She deserves to be happy, and if I can somehow be the one to do that... well, all good, isn't it?”

“Aw, you're gonna make me tear up... hey, let's just enjoy this instead!” said 6O, abruptly changing the subject. Not that Kainé minded. Making 6O cry was probably a criminal offence, no matter how you made it happen.

They talked more as they ate – 6O shared some stories about the war, some of which Kainé found more interesting than others.

“You know,” said 6O, between huge bites of pizza, cheese oozing dangerously close to her blouse, “we used to have a nickname for her too, back then.”

“Oh? More or less inspired than 'Nines'?”

“Well, that depends on how you look at it! She was so good at what she did, she used to get called '2E' by the Operator team.”

“What was the 'E' for?”

“ _The Executioner_ ,” said 6O, in her best attempt at a menacing voice. “She _hated_ it though, said it was stupid to glamorise it, it was just a job, nothing to be proud of... that kinda stuff. Typical Elizabeth, right?”

It was hard for Kainé to imagine the tiny girl she knew and loved having a nickname like 'the Executioner', but found it a little amusing all the same. The closest she'd come to 'executing her' had been to tie her to the bed and –

“But yeah, I wouldn't bring that one up. Just keep it between us, 'kay?”

“Well, if she hated it, yeah, of course,” said Kainé.

 

Soon, the large black pan carrying the pizza was entirely empty, and both of them sat back in their seats, almost as if celebrating a job well done. The light was fading fast, outside.

“Think you can walk to the station, yet? We'd better get moving before it gets too late, I gotta catch two trains to get back...”

“Just come back to ours, you can go back in the morning,” said Kainé, packed to the brim with more mozzarella than a human should be able to hold in their stomach. “They come more often then, too, so you won't end up stuck waiting for an hour if you miss one.”

“Sure, if it's no problem?”

“Nah, she has a guest room,” Kainé went on, “used to sleep there when we were still friends.”

“I see, I see... okay, let's do it! I'm getting used to crashing at everyone else's places!”

 

As they stepped outside, 6O let out a loud gasp, as she looked over to one side.

“It's... so pretty,” she whispered.

Kainé followed her gaze, realising she was talking about the sunset. It truly was a beautiful sight, with dark ambers, deep reds, and subtle variations of yellows winding their way across the sky, painting the clouds as they went. She looked back at 6O, whose eyes were filling with tears – thankfully, if it was the sun that made her cry, it couldn't be prosecuted – and smiled at her. They both appreciated the sight, perhaps her even more so.

At that moment, it became Kainé's firm belief that there was absolutely zero difference between them.

 

**

 

“Hey, I'm back,” Kainé shouted, as she closed the door behind her. “I brought a stray back, too.”

“Oh, hello,” said Elizabeth, walking into the hallway and giving a polite hug to 6O. “I would've tidied around if I had known you were coming, I've been sorting through things today.”

“Ah, forget it – you should see my place,” beamed 6O, waving her hand dismissively. “If it's okay with you though, I uh... I kinda did a lot of the thing we shouldn't do too much of, so I need to go lay down for a bit...”

Elizabeth turned to Kainé, a light frown on her face.

“Just how much did she eat, exactly?”

“Like a half a pizza,” she replied, shrugging.

“A small pizza?”

Kainé and 6O exchanged a glance before matching smiles spread across both of their features. Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

“Oh, is that your old Pod?” asked 6O excitedly, pointing to a featureless white box sitting on the table.

“Well, in a sense. I checked already – no combat capabilities, but I have no idea what personality they left it with, if anything,” said Elizabeth. “I only found it a few minutes before you arrived.”

“What'd you want it for? Pretty much everything's downloaded now, isn't it?”

“'Pretty much', yes, but there's some things I want to check,” she said, “mainly about me.”

“Ah, it's about _that_... well, I'm gonna go rest, so I'll see you both in the morning, alright? Thanks for a lovely day, you!” she said, grinning, giving Kainé a tight hug before running through to the back room.

“You had a nice time, then,” said Elizabeth with a soft upturn of her lips.

“She's good fun, yeah,” replied Kainé. “Didn't have time to go shopping, but you'll take me sometime instead, right?”

“Of course,” she said, before pointing at the box she had called a 'pod'. “Do you want to see if I can get it working?”

“If it's for you? You bet,” she said, taking Elizabeth's hand, and walking with her to sit down at the table.

 


End file.
